Do roof racks affect the way your car drives?

Can you add roof racks to any car, and how do they work? We’ve added them to our long-term Honda CR-V hybrid to find out.

Loading gear onto the roof of your car is a handy way to store things that won’t fit in the boot – but how does it affect the way the car drives?

I’ve had cross bars fitted to the roof of the Drive Honda CR-V e:HEV RS long-term test car to find out.

Here’s what you need to know.

How do roof racks work on a car?

To install roof racks or crossbars on your car, you typically need to have roof rails first. However, there are some fixed-point systems that can be bolted directly onto the roof. Likewise, some brands now even offer suction cups that stick directly to the roof panel, instead of integrated roof rails.

Roof racks use clamps that grip onto the existing rails. Repco offers a handy step-by-step guide on how to do it.

There are multiple types of cross bars, including oval, square, heavy-duty and aerodynamic styles.

The most popular in Australia are sold by brands such as Rhino-Rack, Yakima and Thule.

Can any car use a roof rack?

Pretty much. I’ve seen hatchbacks and even sports cars with cross bars mounted to their tops, but it’s more common to attach them to SUVs and utes because you physically have more space, they can bear larger weights, and roof rails are often standard on most variants.

The Honda CR-V is a medium SUV measuring 4704mm long and 1866mm wide, meaning that, as well as cross bars, it has plenty of room for a platform or basket-style set-up, if that’s your choice.

However, not all CR-V grades come with roof rails already installed on the vehicle. The VTi X and VTi X7 don’t come with roof rails, which means you have to purchase them separately before fitting crossbars.

The cheapest way to do that is via the Touring Pack, which costs $3072 for the five-seat VTi X and $3176 for the seven-seat VTi X7.

The cross bars on our CR-V cost $690 and were fitted by Northern Honda in Melbourne, but there can be variations in pricing due to labour costs being different between dealers.

Does a roof rack make a car look better?

That’s a matter of opinion, but many people think roof racks make a car, particularly a 4×4 vehicle, have a more rugged aesthetic with them than without.

The set we had fitted to the CR-V are black and slim, which add to the RS variant’s sporty, sleek appeal.

Looks aside, they’re typically used to hold sports equipment, bikes, work equipment for trade vehicles, camping gear and sometimes even luggage or furniture that won’t fit in the boot or tray.

How much weight can go on a roof rack?

There’s a lot of variation depending on the type of rack you’re using and the vehicle itself, but typically the maximum roof load is around 50kg to 100kg. Some models may be able to take less or more, so it’s worth checking the manufacturer’s exact specifications to be sure.

You also need to consider the weight of the system you’re installing, as some can be quite heavy on their own.

Here, the setup we had was a Genuine Honda Accessory called the Roof Rack Cross Bar Set, which can take up to 75kg.

The e:HEV RS grade comes with a panoramic glass sunroof. Whether your car has a sunroof will also impact the roof load rating, so it’s best to check this too.

How will a roof rack affect your car?

There are several ways in which having roof racks on your car can impact its driving performance.

Due to increased aerodynamic drag, your fuel economy is likely to be reduced, and you will also experience more wind noise. Cross bars specially designed for aero will lessen the impact, but not remove it entirely.

Another factor to consider is that adding loads to a car’s roof can be problematic if you need to access areas with low clearance, such as underground or multi-storey car parks, or even a drive-through.

Perhaps most importantly, though, is that putting more weight on the top of your vehicle alters its handling by shifting the centre of gravity and reducing stability. You’ll need to take it much slower and easier, especially when going around corners, as a result.

That’s assuming that you’ve absolutely loaded your rig up with kit, right? If, however, like me, you just want to pop a paddleboard, surfboard or kayak on the roof for the day, the impact can be different.

I strapped my Tahwalhi inflatable stand-up 10-foot six-inch paddleboard to the roof of the CR-V and travelled 60km to St Kilda Foreshore. It was easy to attach using tie-down straps on each cross bar.

Pumping it up is also a simple task using an electric pump that you can plug into the 12V socket in the boot. I prefer to do this at home and put the board on the roof to make things easier at the beach.

However, the 581-litre boot of the CR-V can fit two paddleboards in their bags side by side and more gear on top if you prefer to do it that way.

Mostly as a result of there being heavy commuter traffic on the Monash Freeway, which the hybrid system in the e:HEV RS loves, my fuel economy remained the same at 5.6L/100km.

The wind noise also wasn’t diabolical, only piping up during the brief periods I was able to get above 80km/h.

On my return trip, the traffic was much the same, and I even found my average dropped to 5.5L/100km.

Honda claims a fuel-economy rating of 5.5L/100km for the e:HEV RS; however, prior to having the cross bars fitted, I saw this drop as low as 4.8L. More regularly, it sat at around 5.3L/100km.

Over the past couple of months, daily driving duties have been transferred to my colleague Tom Fraser, who has been using it for an inner-urban commute, as opposed to my considerably longer one. It was around this time that the roof racks were fitted, too.

Factoring in a difference in driving styles, the length of the commute, and the addition of the cross bars, a 5.6L/100km increase doesn’t seem unreasonable for the versatility and flexibility they bring.

Of course, with the cost of living being what it is right now, that’s all relative, so whether the benefits outweigh the costs will depend on your individual circumstances.

The post Do roof racks affect the way your car drives? appeared first on Drive.

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